How long would an EMP keep you down?

Electromagnetic pulse weapons have been a problem for decades. In this 1979 photo, an EMP simulator tests a Boeing E-4 aircraft at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.

If an electromagnetic pulse attack were to happen, how long would it take your network to recover?

No one really knows. “Currently there are no good tools to predict the recuperation time leading to a basic or fully functional digital system after a disruption,” according to a new Air Force research proposal.

Resource: Read the SBIR

The Air Force wants a “tool set that can be used to assess the operator response to an electromagnetically triggered disruption of a digital system, to help determine the recovery time to a basic recovery state and full functionality of the system.”

Recovery time depends on technical and human factors, but for now, “the focus of this effort is specifically on the human aspects of the problem.” The solution will be tested on a network that will be hit by High Power Electromagnetic (HPEM) sources.